Card sorting device



Aug. 11, 1970 1. D. SHAW 3,523,609

CARD SORTING DEVICE Filed June 28, 1968 INVENTOR Josep/1 Q haw United safes Patent once 3,523,609 Patented Aug. 11, 1970 3,523,609 CARD SORTING DEVICE Joseph D. Shaw, 508 Church St., Brownsville, Pa. 15417 Filed .lune 28, 1968, Ser. No. 741,179 Int. Cl. B07c 3/04 U.S. Cl. 209-805 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to improvements in card sorting devices and is particularly directed to a simplified and compact device that has a circular, card sorting principle of operation.

An object of the invention is to provide a practical card sorting device that will accommodate a relatively large number of card receiving bins or receptacles within a minimum of space.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a card sorter having the foregoing characteristics, a novel sorting and card discharge action.

According to this invention a number of cards that are punched and indexed along a common side are mingled indiscriminately in a pack and the pack dropped into a receptacle, the cards in the pack being thereafter moved through a circular sorting chamber to be discharged by gravity into a proper bin in a circular row of bins located beneath the chamber.

The nature and details of the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmental, top plan view of my card sorting device, parts thereof being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmental, front elevational view of the card sorter shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an exemplary card that may be indexed and sorted by the device shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings my circular card sorter 7 comprises a lower, multiple bin section 8 and an upper card sorting section 9. The lower section has a circular row of angularly spaced apart bins 10 formed by a base member having an upstanding, circular inner wall 11 (FIG. 2) and a circular bottom wall 12 connected at its inner end edge to the bottom edge of the inner wall 11 by a downwardly and outwardly flaring wall 13; the outer edge of the bottom wall having formed thereon an upstanding flange 14. The bins are best formed by a series of upstanding, radially extending partitions 15, each positioned within the circular space bounded by the bottom portion of the inner wall 11, the outwardly flaring wall 13, the bottom wall 12 and the upstanding ange 14 as by welding the edges of each partition to the respective walls. The bottom wall may have secured to its underside a number of rubber buttons 16 to provide frictional support for the device on a table, or the like.

The upper card sorting section 9 of my device is formed by a top wall 17 that has formed on its periphery a downtumed, circular wall 18, the 'bottom edge of the wall 18 resting upon and being welded or otherwise secured to the top edges of the partition members 15. With reference to FIG. 2 it will be noted that the outer upper corner portions of the partition members 15 are inclined outwardly and downwardly at 19 and that the bottom edge of the circular wall 18 of the top section 9 is mounted on the partitions inwardly from said inclined portions 19. Inwardly from and concentric with the circular wall 18 is a circular wall 20 which is spaced from and in vertical alignment with the inner wall 11 of the bottom section 8, said wall 20 having an inturned ange 21 at its upper end that is riveted or otherwise secured to the top wall 17. The confronting, spaced apart edges of the walls 11 and 20 form between them a continuous, circular groove 22 through and around which a radially extending pusher rod 23 moves, the inner end of said rod being connected to a hub 24 fixed on the inner end of a crank 25 that rotates in a bearing 26 positioned at the center of the top wall 17. A card pack pusher plate 27 is xed to the free end of the pusher rod 23 and is propelled thereby with a circular motion when the crank is turned.

As best shown in FIG. 2 a circular card sorting chamber through which the pusher plate 27 moves is formed above the circular row of bins 10 by the walls 11 and 20, the outer circular portion of the top wall 17 and the circular wall 18. A number of concentric, spaced apart circular ways which take the form of rods 28, 29 and 30 are each suspended from the top wall 17 of the circular chamber by means of a narrow n 31 integral with the rod and preferably connected to a plate 32 that is in turn mounted to the underside of the top wall 17.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 a card pack receiving receptacle 33 is provided the sorter and to this end the top wall 17 and the side wall 18 are formed with an opening 34 formed therein to receive the card pack, the Ways 28, 29 and 30 being discontinued with their lead-in and discharge ends extending into opposite sides of the said receptacle, said card pack being supported by a oor 36 positioned across the bottom of the receptacle.

As indicated best in FIG. 1 of the drawings certain of the card supporting rods have radially aligned openings or discontinued portions 37 above certain of the bins in predetermined combinations to permit an indexed card 34 (FIG. 4) to become unsupported above a particular bin and fall by gravity thereinto from the card sorting chamber.

The operation of my card sorting device is as follows: a number of cards 38 with certain cooperating tabs 39 detached as at 40 are indiscriminately mingled in a pack and the pack placed within the receptacle 33 with their common coded edges uppermost and the common bottom edges in engagement with the platform 36. The crank 25 is then grasped and rotated whereby the pusher plate 27 will move the pack of cards onto the ways 28, 29 and 30 and will continue to move them around through the circular sorting chamber. As each card becomes unsupported by the ways due to the discontinuance of certain of the rods and the particular formation of the indexed tabs, said cards will fall into predetermined bins and be thereby sorted, the sorted cards in each bin being removed manually through the opening formed between the flange 14 and the bottom edge of the circular wall 18.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings the body of the inclined card may be in the nature of a packaged medication wherein a hole 41 is made through the central portion of the card body and a dished, clear plastic bubble 42 is mounted in the card body to extend through said opening and hold medication in the form of a pill 43, or the like. A puncturable cover sheet 44 is mounted across the hole in the card body to seal the bubble, it being understood that by .pressing inwardly on the bubble the pill is dispersed by breaking it through the sheet 44. It will be understood that lat cards with indicia may also be sorted with my device or other kinds of medication could be incapsulated and attached in a different manner to an indexed card for sorting.

It is contemplated that more than one pusher rod and pusher plate could be operated by the crank 25 and that more than one card pack receiving receptacle could be disposed in angularly spaced apart positions around the sorter when it would be desired to sort more than one pack of indexed cards at a time with a sorter having the features of my invention. Further, the pusher rod could be driven by a motor or by other means, if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In a card sorting device, a circular card sorting chamber, a card pack receptacle interposed in the card sorting chamber, a plurality of circular, radially spaced apart card supporting ways concentrically positioned in the upper part of the chamber and each way having a card lead-in end extending into an upper end portion of the card pack receptacle, a platform on the bottom of the receptacle adapted to support a pack of cards edgewise with their coded edge portions in alignment with the card lead-in ends of the ways, a circular row of angularly spaced apart bins located beneath and in open communication with the card sorting chamber, means breaking the continuity of the ways in predetermined positions along their circular extents and in radial combinations above the bins, and means advancing the pack face-wise out of the receptacle and into and through the circular card sorting chamber.

2. In a card sorting device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the card supporting ways each have a discharge end extending into the card pack receptacle from the end opposite the card lead-in end of the ways.

3. In a card sorting device as set forth in claim 1 whereinthe card sorting chamber has radially spaced apart, inner and outer circular, upstanding walls and a top wall, a horizontal slot formed in the inner Wall, and the means advancing the card pack is a plate disposed in the chamber, and a pusher rod rotatably mounted on the top wall and projecting through the slot, said rod having an end portion fixed to the plate.

4. In a card sorting device as set forth in claim 1 where- 'in the means breaking the continuity of the ways are openings between confronting ends of the ways.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner 

